OUTER space and the Bronze Age do not sit well in the same sentence – they may both have existed at the same time, but anyone based on Earth back then would not have known much, or anything, about what lies beyond.
Best places in Spain to see tonight's meteor shower
11/08/2020
DESPITE storms forecast for the next couple of days nationwide – and eagerly awaited after a long and humid weekend – this year's famous Perseids Shower is expected to be one of the most spectacular and will be clearly visible from several parts of the country, astronomers reveal.
Reportedly active until August 26 this year, the meteor shower is expected to 'peak' tonight (August 11) and in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Always one to watch out for in late summer, the Perseids will see amateur astronomers out in force tonight with their telescopes, trying to get a good view – and many 'expat belts' in Spain have set up societies for residents fascinated with what happens beyond our immediate atmosphere, so they, too, will be planning star-spotting events this evening.
If you're in or near the north of the province of Alicante, the Costa Blanca Astronomical Society runs fascinating talks in English, frequently with world-renowned experts invited, and which are usually free of charge – as well as very accessible for those with lots of interest but limited, or zero, specialist knowledge.
The 'Perseids' are so-called because they appear to come from the star constellation known as Perseus, and are a stream of space débris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which is approximately 26 kilometres in diameter and was discovered in the year 1862.
A cloud made up of particles that has been travelling through space for thousands of years, it comes closest to the Earth's orbit between around the middle of July and the end of August.
The particles are emitted by the Swift-Tuttle and gather into the cloud that orbits the comet – an orbit that takes 133 years.
Rain across much of the north and centre of the country – which has not yet reached the east coast, but is likely by nightfall – along with dense cloud covering over most of the mainland means it could be harder to see the Perseids tonight, but spokesman for the State meteorological agency AEMET, Rubén del Campo, says the best points to get a good view are in the southern region of Andalucía and the land-locked western region of Extremadura.
Southern Extremadura and western Andalucía – across the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva, in particular – are expected to have clear enough skies tonight and early tomorrow to catch the meteor cloud.
Also, anyone living in, or on holiday in, the Balearic or Canary Islands could well be in luck, Del Campo reveals.
As is always the case with sky-based wonders, those hoping to catch a glimpse should head for somewhere relatively uninhabited if possible, out in the countryside or on the beach, and better still, at an altitude.
After several days of torrid, humid nights where temperatures typically did not drop below 24ºC or 25ºC, tonight is expected to be cooler and more comfortable for those out with their telescopes.
Del Campo says the mercury will fall to around 18ºC in the north of the country tonight, and hover just above 20ºC in the east and south.
In the Canary Islands, tonight will be cooler still, between 16ºC and 18ºC, although strong winds are predicted.
Luckily for anyone in Spain, the Canary Islands has some of the world's most modern and efficient observatories – and the Perseids will be broadcast live tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday nights from the observatory on the Teide National Park volcano, in Tenerife, and the one in Roque de los Muchachos, via sky-live.tv, according to the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC).
The IAC advises those who want to try to see the Perseids to look upwards in the first few hours after sunset and ideally, no later than midnight, since a waning moon – at 47% of its volume – could well obscure sightings towards the end of the night.
Perseids meteor shower photograph by NASA
Related Topics
DESPITE storms forecast for the next couple of days nationwide – and eagerly awaited after a long and humid weekend – this year's famous Perseids Shower is expected to be one of the most spectacular and will be clearly visible from several parts of the country, astronomers reveal.
Reportedly active until August 26 this year, the meteor shower is expected to 'peak' tonight (August 11) and in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Always one to watch out for in late summer, the Perseids will see amateur astronomers out in force tonight with their telescopes, trying to get a good view – and many 'expat belts' in Spain have set up societies for residents fascinated with what happens beyond our immediate atmosphere, so they, too, will be planning star-spotting events this evening.
If you're in or near the north of the province of Alicante, the Costa Blanca Astronomical Society runs fascinating talks in English, frequently with world-renowned experts invited, and which are usually free of charge – as well as very accessible for those with lots of interest but limited, or zero, specialist knowledge.
The 'Perseids' are so-called because they appear to come from the star constellation known as Perseus, and are a stream of space débris from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which is approximately 26 kilometres in diameter and was discovered in the year 1862.
A cloud made up of particles that has been travelling through space for thousands of years, it comes closest to the Earth's orbit between around the middle of July and the end of August.
The particles are emitted by the Swift-Tuttle and gather into the cloud that orbits the comet – an orbit that takes 133 years.
Rain across much of the north and centre of the country – which has not yet reached the east coast, but is likely by nightfall – along with dense cloud covering over most of the mainland means it could be harder to see the Perseids tonight, but spokesman for the State meteorological agency AEMET, Rubén del Campo, says the best points to get a good view are in the southern region of Andalucía and the land-locked western region of Extremadura.
Southern Extremadura and western Andalucía – across the provinces of Cádiz and Huelva, in particular – are expected to have clear enough skies tonight and early tomorrow to catch the meteor cloud.
Also, anyone living in, or on holiday in, the Balearic or Canary Islands could well be in luck, Del Campo reveals.
As is always the case with sky-based wonders, those hoping to catch a glimpse should head for somewhere relatively uninhabited if possible, out in the countryside or on the beach, and better still, at an altitude.
After several days of torrid, humid nights where temperatures typically did not drop below 24ºC or 25ºC, tonight is expected to be cooler and more comfortable for those out with their telescopes.
Del Campo says the mercury will fall to around 18ºC in the north of the country tonight, and hover just above 20ºC in the east and south.
In the Canary Islands, tonight will be cooler still, between 16ºC and 18ºC, although strong winds are predicted.
Luckily for anyone in Spain, the Canary Islands has some of the world's most modern and efficient observatories – and the Perseids will be broadcast live tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday nights from the observatory on the Teide National Park volcano, in Tenerife, and the one in Roque de los Muchachos, via sky-live.tv, according to the Canarian Astrophysics Institute (IAC).
The IAC advises those who want to try to see the Perseids to look upwards in the first few hours after sunset and ideally, no later than midnight, since a waning moon – at 47% of its volume – could well obscure sightings towards the end of the night.
Perseids meteor shower photograph by NASA
Related Topics
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